Method of knitting multithread fabric



June 5, 1934; R. H. LAwsoN 1,961,636 l METHOD OF=KNITTING MULTITHREAD FABRIC Filed oct. 7, 19:51 s sheets-sheet 2 l 151mm,r F1635.

`June 5, 1934.

R'. H. LAwsN v 1,961,636

METHOD OF KNITING MULTTHREAD FABRIC Filed oct. 7.' 1951 s sheets-sneer 5 /Az VEA/Tof?.- Ro 13TH A1/swag By AT Ty- Patented June 5, 1934 METHOD 0F KNITTING MULTITHREAD FABRIC Robert H. Lawson, Pawtucket, R. I., assignor to Hemphill Company, Central Falls, R. I., a corporation of Massachusetts Application October 7,

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an open work fabric and to a method of knitting the same, the fabric being hereinafter disclosed as being knitted with independent needles of the spring needle type although latch needles may be employed if desired.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a view showing approximately the appearance of a fabric knitted in accordance with the method hereinafter to be disclosed and with suitable yarns and tensions for the same;

Fig. 2 is a View of a. fabric showing how the same would look when knitted with the usual yarns under ordinary conditions of tension;

Fig. 3 is a view representing diagrammatically the knitting of fabric at a plurality of feed 5 stations, twelve in this instance;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the path of the needles at feed stations 1, 3 and 5;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the path of the needles at feed stations 2, 4 and 6;

Fig. 6 is a similar view showing the path of the needles at feed stations 7, 9 and 11;

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the path of the needles at feed stations 8, l() and 12;

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the sinking of yarns around alternate needles only such as while the needles are taking yarn at stations 1, 3, 5 and 7, 9, 11, the difference being that alternate needles are active at stations 1, 3 and 5 While intermediate needles are active at stations?, 9 and 11;

Fig. 9 shows the sinking of yarns around all the needles such as while knitting at stations 2, 4, 6 and 8, 10, 12, the difference being that during the knitting at stations 2, 4- and 6 one yarn oats across alternate needles, and while knitting at stations 8, 10 and 12 said yarn floats across intermediate needles;

Fig. 10 is a view showing the different relative positions of a needle, sinker and beard presser, showing in full lines the needle in raised position and the sinker and beard presser in inactive position prior to needle engagement, while in dotted lines the needle is shown as being depressed, the sinker being shown fully advanced;

Fig. 1,1 shows a needle, sinker and beard presser at a later phase of the knitting cycle, showing the sinker as having measured the yarn and the beard presser closing the beard to permit the new stitch to be drawn through the old stitch as the needle continues its descent;

Fig. l2 is a'view showing a still later phase of the knitting cycle where the needle has completed its stitch drawing movement and the 1931, Serial No. 567,446

a stitch around the shank of the needle by an 69 adjacent sinker; and

Fig. 14 is a view in elevation showing alternate needles in raised position and intermediate needles in inactive, lowered position, the sinkers being shown as advancing to measure the yarn 65.

around the Shanks of the alternate needles but over the tops of the intermediate needles.

The fabric hereinafter to be described is, prefably, knitted on an independent needle knitting machine having a plurality of, say twelve, feed 70 stations at each of which feed stations a thread is fed in such a manner as to be incorporated in the fabric. Although as indicated in Fig. 3 of the drawings there are twelve feed stations, nevertheless the threads at the respective feed stations are knitted into the fabric in such a manner that a complete revolution of the needle cylinder results in the knitting of six courses only instead of twelve.

For convenience of description, the different SG feed stations as Well as the courses knitted at such feed stations and indicated in Fig. 1, will be designated in the figures by Sl, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, S8. S9, S10, S11, and S12,-the threads knitted at the respective feed stations being indicated by the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, ll, and 12.

For convenience, assuming the knitting to commence at station S1, the thread l at such station is engagedin the hooks of alternate cylinder needles 13 the wales of which are indicated 9 by the numerals 14, 15, l5 and 17, Fig. 1, the said yarn not being engaged in the hoks of the intermediate needles which knit the wales 18, 19, 20 and 21. Continued rotation of the needle cylinder causes the needles therein successively to be actuated by cams comprising part of feeding station S2 at which station all of the needles are actuated to engage the thread 2 and knit the same, the alternate cylinder needles 13 also knitting'thread l, each alternate needle thus knitting the two threads as a single loop.

As the needles in the needle cylinder reach the station S3, the thread 3 is engaged by the hooks of alternate needles, i. e.. the ones knitting the wales 14, 15, 16 and 17. the thread, however, not being engaged by the hooks of the intermediate needles 22 which knit wales 18, 19, 20 and 2l. When the needles are actuated by the cams at the station S4, the thread i is knitted by all of the needles and thread 3 by alternate needles 13.

yAt stations S5 and S6 the process is repeated,

namely, the thread 5 is knitted in the same manner as was the thread 3 and the thread 6 is knitted in the same manner as was the thread 4. However, when the needles arrive at station S7, the thread 7 is engaged by the hooks of the intermediate needles 22. namely, the ones knitting wales 18, 19, 20 and 21 but is missed by the needles 13 -that knit wales 14, 15, 16 and 17, the thread consequently oating across the last named Wales. At station S8 thread 8 is knitted by all of the needles and thread 7 by needles 22; and thereafter threads 9 and 10 at stations S9 and S10 respectively and threads 11 and 12 at stations S11 and S12 respectively are knitted into the fabric and by the same needles as were the threads 7 and 8, that is, threads 7 9 and 1l are knitted in the same manner, and threads 8, 10 and 12 are also knitted in the same manner. Thereafter the cycle is repeateri beffinning at station S1 as before.

As hereinbefore stated, by using suitable yarns and adopting suitable tension and knitting instrumentality control, a fabric like that shown in Fig. 1 or closely approximating that shown in Fig'. 1, may be knitted; but under ordinary conditions, as shown in Fig. 2, the stitches knitted at wales 18, 19, 20 and 21 in thecourses knitted at feed station S6; and the stitches at wales 14, 15, 16 and 17 in the courses knitted at feed station S12, are wider or larger than the immediately succeeding loops in the same wales, such immediaten 1y succeeding loops gradually diminishing until the loops at wales 14, l5, 16 and 17 knitted by stationsS, S8, S10 are the smallest or narrowest loopsfthe float threads resulting from the inactive positions of the needles knitting the wales 18, 19, 20 and 21 at station S5, robbing and thereby causing the contraction widthwise of the mentioned wales 14,15, 16 and 17. VVLikewise the loops at wales 18, 19, 20 and 21 knitted by station S12 are smaller or narrower than the immediately preceding loops knitted by saidfeed station S12. It will be understood that although a.

few wales and courses only are shown in Fig. 2, the foregoing description is applicable to fabric knitted as shown in Fig. 2 although for conVen-v ience reference has been made to the fabric shown in Fig. 1.

In Fig. 4 are shown the needles as they are selectively controlled to engage the threads at feed stations S1, S3 and S5 the alternate needles alone being elevated to engage the respective threads 1, 3, 5 at such feed stations. In Fig. 5 the needles are shown as being controlled to knit the courses at feed stations S2, ,S4 and S6, at which feed stations all of the needles engage their respective threads 2, 4 and 6 and knit the same, the alternate needles also knitting threads 1, 3, 5 at stations S2, S4, S6 respectively, the intermediate needles being shown as being elevated from the inactive position which they maintained while passing the precedingfeeding station.

In Fig. 6 the needles are shown as being selected to engage the threads at the feed stations 7, 9 and 11 whereat the alternate needles 13 that knit the courses 14, 15, 16 and 17 remain in an inactive position, being lowered for that purpose as indicated in Fig. 6. the other or intermediate needles 22 being maintained in an elevated position to engage the threads 7, 9 and 11. Fig. 7 corresponds to Fig. 5 in that it shows the inactive-in this case the alternate-needles being again elevated to join the theretofore active, intermediate needles so as to knit the threads 8,

10, 12 at the respective feed stations S8, S10 and S12.

Figs. 8 and 9 show sinkers 23 as measuring threads around the shanks of interspersed needles, Fig. 8 representing the action of the sinkers and needles during the knitting of courses 1, 3, 5 and 7, 9, 11, it being understood that during the knitting of threads 1, 3 and 5, such threads are measured around the Shanks of alternate cylinder needles 13, while during the knitting of threads 7, 9 and 11 such threads are measured by the sinkers around the shanks of the intermediate needles 22. In Fig. 9 the sinkers are shown as measuring athread'Z, 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 around the Shanks of the intermediate as well as the alternate needles.

In Figs. 10, 11 and 12 are shown successive positions of the knitting instrumentalities during the knitting of a normal stitch, the needles having beards 24 which are individually engaged by beard pressers 25, as shown in Fig. 11, for the purpose of closing the beards and permitting the old stitches 26 to ride up over the beards as the needles descend to the position shown in Fig. 12 at which time sinkers 23 are advanced to knock the old loops 26 over the tops of the needles and over the new loops 27, the knock-over loops then becoming part of the knitted fabric, each such new loop having moved from the measuring notch 28 of the sinker to the throat 29 thereof as the knitting instrumentalities move from the positions shown in Fig. 11 to the positions shown in Fig. 12.

Figs. 13 and 14 show relative movements of needles and sinkers as the sinkers are moved to measure the stitches around the Shanks of the alternate or intermediate needles as the case may be, the intervening needles remaining in a lowered, inactive position so that at the next feed station the active needles only will knit the thread shown in said Figs. 13 and 14.

In the forepart of this description, the method of operation has been set forth in a manner to apply either to latch needle knitting or spring needle knitting and when knitting with spring needles as herein shown, the sinkers 23 at feed station S1 engage the thread 1 in their notches 28 and measure the said thread around the Shanks of alternate needles, and while the sinkers are in advanced,` stitch measuring position the intermediate needles are raised in front of the thread 1 thereby frictionally maintaining the thread in an elevatedposition at the level of the sinker notches; thereafter the sinkers are withdrawn and again advanced so as to engage the thread 2 in their notches as well as thread 1 and measure the same around the shanks of all of the needles, after which the needles are actuated by cams (not shown) to knit both threads, i. e., threads 1 and 2. The sinkers'as they engage the threads 3e12 inclusive, at the/remaining feed stations operate in conjunction with the alternate and intermediate needles in the same manner as just described excepting that at stations 7-12 inclusive the intermediate needles take the place of and function as the alternate needles.

The fabric knitted in a manner hereinbefore disclosed, consists of a plurality of threads repeatedly knitted into the fabric in the same order, twelve threads being herein disclosed as being knitted into the fabric in a certain order which order is or may be indefinitely repeated, the knitting of the twelve threads resulting in six fabric courses which constitute a series of courses.

Although as hereinbefore disclosed, twelve vfeed stations are employed any other desired number of feed stations may be utilized in which case the arrangements of the courses of the fabric would be altered somewhat as compared with the courses of the fabrics shown in Figs. l and 2.

The alternate and intermediate needles may be selectively controlled in any desired manner such as by the use of two different lengths of butts on the needles or on jacks individually controlling the needles.

In the foregoing description, reference has been made to alternate and intermediate with respect to the needles. It is not the intention thereby to limit the invention strictly to the alternate needles as comprising the first, third and fifth needles, etc. and the intermediate needles as comprising the second, fourth and sixth needles, etc. In the claims the said alternate needles have been more broadly referred to as needles interspersed among other needles, the

other needles being what is referred to in the specication asv intermediate needles; in other words, it is the intention that the claims cover a two and one, a two and two or other and irregular disposition of needles andLWales as well as the one and one arrangement of needles and wales herein disclosed. Furthermore, specific terms have been used with respect to the method, mechanism and fabric, but such specific terms are not intended to limit the method, mechanism and fabric to the precise method, mechanism and fabric` shown in the accompanying drawings.v

I claim:

1. A method of knitting multi-thread fabric by the use of needles consisting in feeding one thread to thesinkers and thereafter actuating the sinkers to measure such thread around the shanks of needles interpersed among other needles, and then raising the said other needles soA that the thread will be back of their shanks, then withdrawing the sinkers, again advancing the said sinkers and thereby measuring the second thread around the Shanks of all the needles.

2. A method of knitting multi-thread fabric by the use of needles consisting in feeding one thread to the sinkers and thereafter actuating the sinkers to measure such thread around the Shanks of needles interspersed among other needles, maintaining the thread substantially at the feeding level, withdrawing the sinkers, and then again advancing the sinkers thereby to measure a second thread around the Shanks of all the needles. f

3. A method of knitting multi-thread fabric by the use of needles consisting in feeding one thread to the sinkers and thereafter actuating the sinkers to sink and measure such thread around the Shanks of needles interspersed among other needles, maintaining the thread substantially at the feeding level, withdrawing the sinkers, and then again advancing the sinkers thereby to measure a second thread around the shanks of all the needles, and again sinking the rst mentioned thread around the shanks of the interspersed needles.

ROBERT H. LAWSON. 

